Cyclocross Races to Watch: 2013-2014 Season Preview

September 17, 2013

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As it has since 2007, Interbike’s CrossVegas cyclocross race unofficially opens the international cyclocross season in Las Vegas. Autumn is fast approaching and that means the CX calendar is full of terrific races for fans to enjoy all over the world (and thanks to Internet, opportunities abound to watch almost all of them live). Here’s a rundown of this season’s can’t-miss events.—Whit Yost

The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most competitive ’cross racers in the country. Each year, riders come from all over the world to brave the elements and test themselves against the region’s competitive fields in the nine-race Cross Crusade series. The Deschutes Brewery also serves as host to a UCI Category 1 event on December 7th, the day before the Cross Crusade series finale in Bend, Oregon.

Each year, this small town near the Belgian coast becomes the center of the international cyclocross world when it plays host to a round of the UCI World Cup. Known for its long stretches of sand dunes in which most riders are forced to hop off their bikes and run, the course in Koksijde is arguably more famous than the riders themselves. In 2012, when the town hosted the World Championships, more than 60,000 fans paid to attend.

As if there weren’t enough reasons to spend a December weekend in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love will be the hosting the second cyclocross world championship event to be held on American soil this year: the 7th annual Single-Speed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC). But don’t let the crazy costumes and beer hand-ups confuse you, this is a very serious (kind of) event in which racers will fight to the death (almost) to win. The men’s and women’s champions receive a SSCXWC victory tattoo and a golden bikini. And the best part? Anyone can enter—and everyone can be a winner. More info: sscxwc13philly.com

Despite three major race series competing for spots on the calendar, Overijse’s race date has never been challenged—and deservedly so. Each lap begins with a steep, cobbled climb before traversing a hillside cow pasture. Slick descents, muddy run-ups, and a lap around a neighborhood soccer field make this one-day Belgian event a race for true all-rounders.

Part of the Superprestige series of races in Belgium and the Netherlands, the event in downtown Diegem, Belgium, is always a fan favorite. As part of the famous Holy Week of Belgian races between Christmas and New Year’s Day, Diegem’s nighttime race is always packed with jolly fans. The technical, downtown course is a special sight under the lights.

Believe it or not, Italians have a long-standing passion for cyclocross. The nation’s pedigree is celebrated each season with an Italian stop in the UCI World Cup series. This year, the series once again heads to Rome, a stunning scene for an always-aggressive race. In addition to the scenery, this event is usually one of the warmest of the season, a welcome relief to racers who have spent the past few months freezing their butts off in Northern Europe.

Last year, subfreezing temperatures greeted competitors at the US National Championships outside Madison, Wisconsin. This year, national titles in more than 30 age groups will be awarded in Boulder, Colorado—another locale in which snow and ice may be on the menu. This is the first time since 1992 that Colorado hosted CX nationals; expect passionate fans, a technical course, and four days of terrific racing with pros like 2012 champ Jeremy Powers, shown here.

Since 1998, Belgians have won 35 medals in the elite men’s World Championship—all other countries have won 13. So it should come as no surprise that the Belgian National Championship is a hotly contested event. In fact, some consider it to be the World Semifinals, as the winner is often named the captain of the Belgian national squad heading to the World Championships three weeks later. (Here, Belgian CX champ Klass Vantornout shows his coolness under pressure.) This year’s event will be held in the Flemish town of Waregem, home of the Dwars door Vlaanderen semi-Classic road race.

Fans who enjoyed last year’s World Cyclocross Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, will have to head Hoogerheide in the Netherlands to watch this year’s action. While the Belgians will aim to continue their stranglehold on the elite men's event, the Dutch will hope to continue their success in the juniors, U23, and women's categories—as always, watch for Marianne Vos to be in the lead. No matter what happens, expect spirited racing, rabid fans, and lots of Heineken!

Each year, CrossVegas kicks off the season with an evening race just minutes from the Las Vegas strip. This year, the event will mark world champion Sven Nys’s only trip to the US. A popular event run during the week of the Interbike Trade Show, the race is always competitive as riders have a chance to show off for sponsors and industry bigwigs—here, the women’s field handles the flyover.

For 10 days each fall, many of the nation’s best CX racers flock to New England for the Holy Week of New England cyclocross. With more than five days of racing available in a nine-day stretch, the “week” is bookended with two-day events in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. All four weekend races are part of the eight-race Shimano New England Pro Cyclocross Series—a challenging series of UCI events from September through December.

The most prestigious series of the season, the eight-race UCI World Cup begins on October 20 in the Dutch village of Valkenburg, a town known for its famous climb, which serves as the finale for the Amstel Gold Race spring Classic. The Netherlands won three gold medals at last year’s World Championships, so expect a rabid crowd of fans hoping to see the oranje—including young Matthias Van Der Poel, shown here—give Belgium another run for its money.

A familiar name during the spring Classics when its 23-percent cobbled slopes wreak havoc on the peloton in the Tour of Flanders, the Koppenberg also plays host to a cyclocross race on November 1st each year. The riders tackle the fearsome ascent on each lap, a lung-busting, leg-searing proposition that always leads to a worthy victor. It should come as no surprise that world champion Sven Nys holds the record for the most wins in the event’s history—a whopping nine times!